2022 Michigan State House Special Election Races

The special primary elections for four open state house seats will be held on March 1.  The elections are held under the old district lines.  The candidates' pre-primary campaign finance reports have mostly been submitted.  District 15 is safe D, while the other three should be safe R.

36. Grot 57K Mekoski 60K (52K self) Thompson 8K 
43. Harris 27K Warrington 21K Ybarra 5K
74. Gilbert 30K Noordhoek 8K Regan $200

District 36 is open since Rep. Douglas Wozniak was elected to the state senate.  Sylvia Grot is the wife of Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot, a longtime establishment GOP official who sought the seat in 2014.  Terence Mekoski is a former police officer and "Stop the Steal" candidate who finished third with 21% in the 2021 senate primary that Wozniak won.  William Thompson is an engineer and firefighter.

District 43 is open due to the death of Rep. Andrea Schroeder.  Heidi Warrington is a nurse who was a district representative for Schroeder.  She has the sole endorsement of Michigan Right to Life.  Mike Harris is a police officer who is endorsed by a couple previous state reps.  Linda Ybarra Bozzone works at a senior center.  Anthony Bartolotta, a Waterford Township Trustee who finished third with 27% in 2018, dropped out of the race.

District 74 is open since Rep. Mark Huizenga was elected to the state senate.  Walker City Commissioner Steven Gilbert is a state legislative staffer.  Grandville City Council member Justin Noordhoek is a teacher.  Businessman Robert Regan previously ran for state rep, finishing second in 2014 and 2018 and third in 2020.  He appears to be the most conservative and has some grassroots support.  Walker City Commissioner Carol Glanville will be the D nominee.

Michigan Redistricting: State House Map Approved

Michigan's Independent Redistricting Commission has passed a state house district map.

Interactive versions of the map are available at Dave's Redistricting and MICRC.

Michigan State House Map-Dave's Redistricting
Michigan State House Map-MICRC

Here are brief district descriptions.  The partisan statistics come from Dave's Redistricting; they are averages of several statewide races.

1. 8R, 89D (Safe D) S Detroit

2. 41R, 56D (Safe D) Southgate, Allen Park

3. 21R, 77D (Safe D) central Dearborn, Detroit

4. 6R, 92D (Safe D) E Dearborn, Detroit

5. 21R, 77D (Safe D) Birmingham, Detroit

6. 16R, 81D (Safe D) Oak Park, Detroit

7. 17R, 80D (Safe D) Royal Oak, Detroit

8. 21R, 76D (Safe D) Madison Heights, Detroit

9. 6R, 92D (Safe D) E Detroit

10. 33R, 65D (Safe D) Grosse Pointes, Detroit

11. 32R, 65D (Safe D) St. Clair Shores, Detroit

12. 29R, 68D (Safe D) Eastpointe, Detroit

13. 33R, 64D (Safe D) E Warren, Detroit

14. 26R, 71D (Safe D) W Warren, Detroit

15. 36R, 61D (Safe D) Dearborn Heights, W Dearborn

16. 22R, 75D (Safe D) SE Livonia, Detroit

17. 30R, 67D (Safe D) NE Livonia, Detroit

18. 20R, 78D (Safe D) Southfield, Farmington

19. 33R, 65D (Safe D) N Farmington Hills, S Bloomfield Twp

20. 42R, 56D (Lean D) W Bloomfield Twp.

21. 45R, 53D (Lean D) Novi

22. 49R, 49D (Tossup) W Livonia, Plymouth, Northville

23. 36R, 62D (Safe D) E Ann Arbor, South Lyon

24. 39R, 59D (Safe D) Canton Twp

25. 38R, 59D (Safe D) Westland, Wayne

26. 30R, 66D (Safe D) Garden City, Inkster, N Romulus

27. 49R, 48D (Tossup) Trenton, Grosse Ile

28. 49R, 49D (Tossup) NE Monroe, Brownstown Twp

29. 49R, 48D (Tossup) Taylor, Huron

30. 57R, 40D (Safe R) S Monroe

31. 46R, 51D (Lean D) N Monroe, Belleville

32. 22R, 75D (Safe D) Ypsilanti

33. 25R, 73D (Safe D) S Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Twp

34. 56R, 40D (Safe R) Lenawee

35. 68R, 29D (Safe R) Hillsdale, Branch

36. 63R, 33D (Safe R) St. Joseph, Cass

37. 59R, 37D (Safe R) S Berrien, W Cass

38. 46R, 51D (Lean D) Berrien to Allegan lakeshore

39. 58R, 38D (Safe R) Van Buren

40. 42R, 54D (Lean D) Portage, Oshtemo, Texas

41. 23R, 73D (Safe D) Kalamazoo city

42. 53R, 44D (Safe R) rural Kalamazoo, Plainwell

43. 67R, 29D (Safe R) Allegan, S Barry

44. 48R, 48D (Tossup) Battle Creek, Albion

45. 63R, 33D (Safe R) S Calhoun, W Jackson

46. 47R, 49D (Tossup) Jackson city

47. 36R, 61D (Safe D) W Ann Arbor, SW Jackson

48. 47R, 50D (Tossup) N Ann Arbor, SC Livingston

49. 54R, 44D (Safe R) SE Livington, Wixom

50. 63R, 34D (Safe R) N, W Livingston

51. 59R, 39D (Safe R) White Lake, Milford

52. 57R, 40D (Safe R) Waterford, Independence

53. 30R, 67D (Safe D) Pontiac, S Waterford

54. 50R, 48D (Lean R) N Bloomfield, Auburn Hills, Orion

55. 50R, 48D (Lean R) Rochester Hills

56. 43R, 54D (Lean D) Troy

57. 50R, 48D (Tossup) W Sterling Heights

58. 50R, 48D (Tossup) E Sterling Heights

59. 62R, 36D (Safe R) Shelby Twp

60. 56R, 42D (Safe R) Macomb Twp

61. 47R, 50D (Lean D) Clinton Twp

62. 50R, 47D (Lean R) Harrison Twp

63. 61R, 36D (Safe R) Chesterfield Twp, S St. Clair

64. 55R, 41D (Safe R) E St. Clair

65. 67R, 30D (Safe R) W St. Clair, E Lapeer

66. 64R, 34D (Safe R) NE Oakland

67. 56R, 41D (Safe R) W Lapeer, NE Genesee

68. 50R, 47D (Tossup) Burton, Davison

69. 40R, 57D (Safe D) W Genesee

70. 17R, 80D (Safe D) Flint

71. 56R, 41D (Safe R) Shiawassee

72. 54R, 43D (Safe R) Fenton, Grand Blanc

73. 43R, 54D (Safe D) rural Ingham

74. 30R, 66D (Safe D) S Lansing, Delhi Twp

75. 39R, 59D (Safe D) Meridian Twp, SE Clinton

76. 46R, 50D (Tossup) Eaton

77. 36R, 60D (Safe D) N Lansing, SW Clinton

78. 61R, 35D (Safe R) Ionia, NE Barry

79. 65R, 32D (Safe R) S Kent

80. 43R, 54D (Lean D) Kentwood, East Grand Rapids

81. 45R, 52D (Lean D) NE Grand Rapids, Ada Twp

82. 25R, 72D (Safe D) SE Grand Rapids

83. 45R, 50D (Lean D) Wyoming, SW Grand Rapids

84. 46R, 50D (Tossup) W Grand Rapids, Walker, Grandville

85. 70R, 27D (Safe R) Jenison, Zeeland

86. 52R, 44D (Safe R) Holland

87. 37R, 59D (Safe D) Muskegon city

88. 54R, 42D (Safe R) Grand Haven, Norton Shores

89. 65R, 32D (Safe R) E Ottawa, SE Muskegon

90. 59R, 37D (Safe R) NC Kent

91. 63R, 33D (Safe R) Montcalm

92. 50R, 46D (Lean R) Isabella, N Gratiot

93. 61R, 36D (Safe R) W Saginaw, S Gratiot, N Clinton

94. 31R, 66D (Safe D) Saginaw city

95. 57R, 40D (Safe R) Midland

96. 50R, 46D (Lean R) Bay County

97. 61R, 36D (Safe R) E Saginaw, W Tuscola

98. 67R, 30D (Safe R) the Thumb

99. 62R, 34D (Safe R) Iosco, Arenac, Ogemaw, Gladwin

100. 63R, 33D (Safe R) Mecosta, Osceola, Clare

101. 64R, 32D (Safe R) Newaygo, Lake

102. 56R, 40D (Safe R) Muskegon to Manistee lakeshore

103. 48R, 49D (Tossup) Leelanau, Traverse City

104. 60R, 36D (Safe R) S Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Antrim

105. 65R, 32D (Safe R) Roscommon, Crawford, Otsego, Missaukee

106. 62R, 35D (Safe R) NE Lower Peninsula

107. 56R, 40D (Safe R) Mackinac Bridge area

108. 61R, 37D (Safe R) Menominee to Chippewa

109. 46R, 50D (Lean D) Marquette

110. 57R, 40D (Safe R) W Upper Peninsula

Summary of Ratings:

Safe D: 37 (1-19, 23-26, 32, 33, 41, 47, 53, 69, 70, 73-75, 77, 82, 87, 94)

Lean D: 11 (20, 21, 31, 38, 40, 56, 61, 80, 81, 83, 109)

Tossup: 13 (22, 27, 28, 29, 44, 46, 48, 57, 58, 68, 76, 84, 103)

Lean R: 5 (54, 55, 62, 92, 96)

Safe R: 44 (30, 34-37, 39, 42, 43, 45, 49-52, 59, 60, 63-67, 71, 72, 78, 79, 85, 86, 88-91, 93, 95, 97-102, 104-108, 110)

The existing map has ten black-majority districts based in Detroit, plus one in Southfield and one in Flint.  This map has only six black-majority districts based in Detroit/Southfield (4, 5, 6, 9, 16, 18), and one in Flint (70).  There are nine districts between 40% and 50% black (1, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17).  This is most likely a violation of the Voting Rights Act.  There are 15 districts that are partly but not wholly contained in Detroit, up from 7 in the existing map.  No district is completely in Detroit.

Many districts are narrow strips that stretch from Detroit to the suburbs to lower the black percentage of the population.  This destroys communities of interest (both geographic and racial) and also violates the goal of drawing compact districts.  Oddly, there isn't much partisan advantage to this either, as only a few of the Detroit strips (10, 11, 17) contain R precincts, which are already in D districts in the existing map.

District 5, which has a chunk of Detroit, slices through Oak Park to the mostly white suburb of Birmingham (with precincts from Southfield, Royal Oak, and Berkley) is particularly absurd.

Birmingham, Royal Oak, Southfield, Farmington Hills, Livonia, Romulus, and Dearborn are all split three ways.  Bloomfield Township is split four ways.  Many smaller cities and townships are split two ways for no apparent reason.

There are 13 districts that cross the border of Wayne County, up from one in the existing map.  Three districts (28, 29, 31) cross the border between Wayne and Monroe counties, which helps Ds.  Five districts cross the Wayne/Macomb border.  Four districts cross the Wayne/Oakland border.  There are 10 districts that cross the border of Oakland County, up from one in the existing map.

District 10 does unite the Grosse Pointes, but combines them with a slice of Detroit so they will still be outvoted.  Some districts like 49 are oddly shaped for no apparent reason.  One example of a good draw for Rs (though not great geographically) is district 54, which puts shaky territory in Bloomfield township with more R Orion Township to the north.

The commission apparently prioritized "partisan fairness" over communities of interest, even though the law prioritizes communities of interest.  While the law says that districts should not be drawn to advantage a party, it does not require that the partisan lean of the districts be proportional to the aggregate statewide partisan vote.  However, this is apparently what the commission decided to do.

Since democrats have "self-packed" into cities, promoting "partisan fairness" requires splitting up mid-sized cities to create more safe or winnable districts for Ds.  Never mind that these districts are terrible communities of interest, are not compact, and break many cities, townships, and sometimes counties.

Case in point is Ann Arbor, which is split into four districts, three safe D (23, 33, 47) and one tossup (48).  Three districts cross the line between Washtenaw and Jackson counties.  Particularly absurd is district 23, which has a slice of Ann Arbor, R-leaning Salem Township, South Lyon from Oakland County, and parts of Plymouth and Northville Townships in Wayne County.

The situation in the Lansing area is similar.  Lansing is split in half to anchor two districts (74, 77).  East Lansing and Meridian Township are both split to anchor two more districts (73, 75).  Many R townships are buried in these four districts.  District 76 in Eaton County remains a tossup.

In Grand Rapids, the city is split into five districts (80-84), none of which is completely contained in the city.  Four favor Ds, and one (84) is a tossup.  The existing map has Grand Rapids split into two districts, and no cities in Kent County split.

One area with decent lines for Rs is Genesee County.  The new map has two safe D (69, 70) and one tossup (68), while the existing map has three safe D and one tossup.  The map does manage to split 8 cities/townships in Genesee, up from one in the existing map.  It does make Flint whole, after the black community complained that it was split in an earlier draft.

Incredibly, the commission maintained district 44 (old 62), one of the few clear examples of gerrymandering in the existing map.  This Battle Creek to Albion district was drawn to put most Calhoun Ds in one district to protect then-speaker Jase Bolger in old 63.

One peculiar result in the new map is that the two leading candidates to be the next R house leader are both put in the same district.  Matt Hall (old 63) and Sarah Lightner (old 65) now both live in new 45.  Hall represents more of the district, but Lightner lives on a farm and would find it inconvenient to move.  A logical solution would be for one candidate to move in exchange for the other candidate's support for leader, but so far both are refusing to budge.

In Kalamazoo County, one precinct of Portage is included with Kalamazoo city in district 41.  Two precincts of Kalamazoo city are in district 40 with Portage.  One precinct each of Kalamazoo Township and Oshtemo are excised to be added to district 42 (the Oshtemo precinct just happens to be the most R).  District 42 wraps most of the way around urban Kalamazoo, with a chunk of Allegan County thrown in.

Some rural districts are oddly shaped for no clear reason.  District 43 has one township in Eaton County, half a township in Ottawa County, and a swath of territory from Allegan and Barry counties in between.  Another strange district is 97, which neighbors four urban areas, and has a strange arm to take in rural areas between the tri-cities (Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City).

One special outrage is district 38, which runs about 70 miles along the Lake Michigan shoreline from New Buffalo to Saugatuck.  The district is barely a mile wide at one point.  Apparently, people who live close to a lake form a community of interest.  This district promotes "partisan fairness" since it favors Ds.

Another pro-D draw is district 92.  While it keeps Isabella County whole, it includes northern Gratiot County, which is the most pro-D area in any of the five neighboring counties.

Finally, there is the pro-D draw of district 103, which combines Leelanau County with the Traverse City area in a way that is the best for Ds.  Grand Traverse County is split, even though it has the right population for a single district.  District 103 contained the residences of two R incumbents, Jack O'Malley and John Roth.  However, Roth will move to the new district 104, which contains parts of six counties but all of none.

The map is clearly gerrymandered to help Ds in the name of "partisan fairness".  Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Ann Arbor are split into several districts combined with suburban or rural areas to help Ds win more seats there.  Districts 38, 44, and 103 are clearly pro-D gerrymanders.  The only noticeably good draw for Rs is district 54.  The decrease in the number of majority black districts is likely a violation of the Voting Rights Act.  The shredding of Detroit makes a mockery of communities of interest.  Other districts just look weird for no discernable reason.

The map looks sloppy, and breaks 48 counties (152 total breaks), up from 23 counties (32 total breaks) on the existing map.  This terrible map shows that the independent redistricting commission has failed Michigan and needs to be reformed or abolished.

Coverage of last decade's redistricting:

2011-2012 Michigan Redistricting

Don't Elect Anyone Under 30

The sister-in-law of former Michigan state house speaker Lee Chatfield recently leveled allegations of sexual assault against him.  While denying the allegations, Chatfield admitted to having an affair with the woman, who is the wife of his brother.  The criminal allegations will be investigated, but what Chatfield admitted is bad enough.

Chatfield is only 33, and was 25 when he was first elected.  This is only the latest of many cases of young people who attain political office, abuse their position of trust, and suffer public humiliation.  This has happened many times before.  Here are some notable example, all from Michigan politics.

State rep. Steve Marino (R) decided it would be a good idea to have a fling with state rep. Mari Manoogian (D).  When the relationship turned sour, he sent her a series of bizarre text messages, threatening to make it his “life mission to destroy” her and hoping her “car explodes”.  Aside from the fact that this was wrong, it was also incredibly stupid.  Text messages are recorded.  Marino gave a political opponent something she could use to humiliate him.  She eventually did so, obtaining a restraining order.  While Marino will likely finish his final term this year, his political career is finished.  He was elected to the Macomb County Commission at 25, state rep at 27, and is now 32.

State rep Jewell Jones drove drunk and crashed his car in April 2021.  When a police officer stopped at the scene, Jones resisted arrest.  He attempted to use his position as a state rep and ties to Governor Whitmer to avoid accountability.  After repeatedly violating parole, he was eventually sent to jail for several months by a judge.  He was elected to the Inkster City Council at 20, and state rep at 21.

State rep Paul Scott had a love child with a staffer while he was running for Secretary of State in 2010.  He lost at the convention to Ruth Johnson.  Later, the MEA organized a recall campaign against him.  Their stated reason was opposition to education reforms being pushed by the GOP.  However, it seems likely that Scott's personal conduct contributed to the success of the recall.  Notably, another R was elected to replace Scott, who had first been elected at age 26.

Michael Sessions was elected mayor of Hillsdale at only 18 years old in 2005.  He then hacked his friend’s computer and deleted some of his accounts.  He eventually pled no contest to charges related to the incident.

Of course, politicians of all ages can be involved in scandals.  What distinguishes young politicians such as those above is how immature their actions were.

Obviously, not every young elected official gets into trouble.  Some successes in Michigan include John Engler and Joe Hune.  Yet even for them, would it have hurt to have more life experience before assuming public office?  Voters should treat candidates under 30 with skepticism, and carefully consider whether they have the necessary maturity to hold office.  (And yes, I believed this when I was under 30.) 

February 2022 Judiciary News

One year down, three to go.

Supreme Court:

Breyer:  Justice Breyer will retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term.  The news leaked before it was announced.  Breyer was reportedly upset by the leak.

Short List:  David Lat identifies the leading candidates to fill the vacancy as Ketanji Brown Jackson (DC Circuit), Leondra Kruger (CA Supreme Court), and J. Michelle Childs (D-SC).  Ed Whelan profiles Jackson and Kruger.  Whelan notes that an analysis found Jackson's writing to be of poor quality.

Vaccine Mandate:  The Supreme Court enjoined Biden's vaccine mandate for employers by a 6-3 vote in the case NFIB v. Department of Labor.  However, it allowed a mandate for most healthcare workers by a 5-4 vote, with Roberts and Kavanaugh joining the liberals.

Vaccine Mandate:  The ruling was foreshadowed by arguments that appeared to go badly for the Biden administration.  The Advisory Opinions podcast analyzed the arguments and the opinions.

Sotomayor:  Justice Sotomayor made a number of wildly false statements during arguments over Biden's vaccine mandate.  She claimed "We have hospitals that are almost at full capacity with people severely ill on ventilators. We have over 100,000 children, which we've never had before, in serious condition, many on ventilators".  The actual number is around 3000.

Masks:  NPR reporter Nina Totenberg claimed that Justice Sotomayor has attended hearings remotely due to Justice Gorsuch refusing a request by Justice Roberts to wear masks.  Sotomayor, Gorsuch, and Roberts released statements refuting the story, but some leftists refused to believe them.

Affirmative Action:  The Supreme Court will hear challenges to affirmative action programs at Harvard and University of North Carolina.  It seems likely that the court will overturn these programs, but it may be difficult to find a remedy that admissions offices can't work around.

Roberts:  The left is upset about a new poll showing Chief Justice John Roberts is the most popular leader of the federal government, with 60% approval.

Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:

First year:  Ed Whelan shows that Ron Klain's claim that "@POTUS has now named more appellate court judges his first year in office than any President.” is not quite accurate.

Diversity:  President Biden has nominated a large number of black women to the appeals courts.  They are overrepresented about 20 times compared to their proportion among American lawyers.

6th Circuit:  Biden nominee Andre Mathis had his drivers license suspended three times, in 2008 and twice in 2010.  Senators Haggerty and Blackburn slammed the nomination, with Blackburn saying, "Joe Biden nominated someone with a rap sheet to be a federal judge in Tennessee ... Mr. Mathis's rap sheet shows that he believes himself to be above the law, just like the President who nominated him." 

11th Circuit:  SPLC lawyer and 11th Circuit nominee Nancy Abudu attacked common election security measures in 2011:

Obviously, we do a lot when it comes to voter suppression, which includes five priority areas: photo ID, proof of citizenship, restrictions we see when it comes to registration … early voting as well as absentee voting and the restrictions we see when it comes to criminal convictions.

D-PR:  A "bipartisan" panel led by Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi (D) and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R), who are both part of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (PNP) recommended Veronica Ferraiuoli Hornedo, an aide to González, for a federal judgeship.  However, the White House is reportedly considering a pro-independence candidate, Sulay Rios-Fuentes, to the consternation of the PNP officials.

Nominations:

TBD

The Federal Judiciary:

6th Circuit:  Judge Gilbert Stroud Merritt Jr. died on January 17 at age 86.  He was appointed by President Carter in 1977 and took senior status in 2001 on his 65th birthday.  He was born, took senior status, and died on the same date.

9th Circuit:  Judge Lawrence VanDyke wrote a unanimous panel opinion reversed a district court ruling upholding a temporary closure of gun stores during the pandemic.  More notably, he predicted the ruling would go en banc and wrote a snarky concurrence satirizing the reasoning the leftists on the court use to uphold gun control.  Read the footnotes! 

11th Circuit:  Chief judge William Pryor was cleared after an investigation by Second Circuit chief judge Debra Ann Livingston.  He had been accused of hiring a clerk who made racist remarks.  However, she had been framed by former coworkers at Turning Point USA.

Vacancy Declarations:  There are now 117 current and future judicial vacancies.  New vacancies over the past month are listed below.

WD-WA: Ricardo Martinez (W) TBD (senior)

WD-WA: Richard Jones (W) TBD (senior)
SD-OH: Timothy Black (Obama) 5/18 (senior)

D-MA: Timothy Hillman (Obama) TBD (senior)

9th Circuit: Margaret McKeown (Clinton) TBD (senior)

5th Circuit: Gregg Costa (Obama) 8/5 (resigned)

ED-MO: Rodney Sippel (Clinton) TBD (senior)

ND-CA: Edward Chen (Obama) 5/17 (senior)
CD-CA: John Kronstadt (Obama) 4/1 (senior)

ED-LA: Martin Feldman (Reagan) 1/26 (death)

1st Circuit: Jeffrey Howard (W) 3/31 (senior)
ND-OK: Claire Eagan (W) 10/1 (senior)
9th Circuit: Andrew Hurwitz (Obama) TBD (senior)

Supreme Court: Stephen Breyer (Clinton) TBD (retired)

State Supreme Courts:

Maryland:  The Maryland Court of Appeals will see two vacancies soon. Judge Robert McDonald hits the age limit of 70 on February 23, and Chief Judge Joseph Getty will leave on April 14.  The Appellate Courts Judicial Nominating Commission nominated six candidates for McDonald's seat, and three for Getty's seat.  Governor Larry Hogan will appoint the new judges.

New Jersey:  New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Faustino J. Fernandez-Vina will retire on February 15, upon reaching the age limit of 70.  He was appointed by Chris Christie in 2013.  Meanwhile, Governor Phil Murphy renominated Rachel Wainer Apter to an open seat on the court.  She was first nominated on March 15, but state senator Holly Schepisi (R) is holding up the nomination.  It is possible that both vacancies could be filled if Murphy agrees to appoint an R to replace Fernandez-Vina.

Oregon:  Governor Kate Brown appointed Court of Appeals judge Roger J. DeHoog to the Oregon Supreme Court.  He is 56 and Asian.  He replaces Justice Lynn Nakamoto, who retired on December 31.

Tennessee:  Governor Bill Lee appointed Associate Solicitor General Sarah Campbell for the Tennessee Supreme Court seat open due to the death of Justice Cornelia Clark.  Campbell has a JD from Duke, clerked for William Pryor (11th Circuit) and Justice Samuel Alito (2011-12), and joined the AG's office in 2015.  The court now has 4 R and 1 D appointees.

Texas:  Appointed incumbent Evan Young is running for election to the Texas Supreme Court.  He clerked for Scalia on the Supreme Court.  He is being challenged by 5th District Court of Appeals judge David Schenck in the Republican primary on March 1.  Schenk is focusing his campaign on ethics issues.

Resources:

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Ballotpedia: State Supreme Court Vacancies 2021 2022 Elections 2022
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